One of the biggest loopholes in New Jersey high school athletics could be closing.
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association executive committee pushed forward an official proposal on a new “competitive balance formula” that will significantly alter the classifications for schools in football, boys basketball and girls basketball.
Schools that have enjoyed sustained success in the state tournament and also fit the parameters of a “non-traditional public school” − meaning kids can attend even if outside the geographic boundary, whether that’s a choice school, charter school or because a county-based magnet program is on site − will be subjected to moving up a classification for state-tournament play.
In practice, a North Jersey powerhouse program like Ramapo would move up from Group 4 to Group 5 if the measure passes. The Demarest girls basketball program could also be impacted. So could teams at Old Tappan, Bergen Tech and Northern Highlands.
NorthJersey.com first reported that this proposal was being worked on in November.
The way the NJSIAA legislative process works is that this proposal will be vetted and discussed at sectional meetings throughout the state and at the Directors of Athletics Association of New Jersey convention in March. Pieces can be tweaked, and the final proposal would be voted on by the full membership of the NJSIAA in May.
NJSIAA executive director Colleen Maguire outlined the proposal in a presentation Wednesday, stressing that this is an issue other states have been dealing with in various forms and that the NJSIAA has adopted a “hybrid” model in an attempt to be as fair as possible.
“Every state uses enrollment as a starting point, but there’s been a trend where states apply different factors,” Maguire said. “Some states just apply an automatic multiplier for non-boundary schools. Some states apply enrollment adjustments based on needs [economic data], some base on transfer data, some do regular season winning percentages.”
She said that if the New Jersey plan passes, it will go into effect with the next classification cycle starting with the 2026-27 school year. Schools can only move up the group ladder. A school that is considered a non-traditional public school can’t move down initially, but can move back down if it struggles in a new classification.
NJSIAA executive committee member Benjie Wimberly (D-Paterson) asked if the formula will be reviewed regularly because of school’s ability to compete changing, and Maguire said yes, it would be reviewed in line with every two-year cycle.
Maguire also said that while these three sports will be impacted first, this is something that will likely spread to other New Jersey sports.
“We are just starting with a small scale, because it’s a fundamental change,” Maguire said.
A closer look at the proposal
To move up, schools first have to demonstrates a level of success in the state tournament. If a school advances far enough in the state tournament, a determination will be made whether it is a non-traditional public school and subjected to group elevation.
Of the six categories of non-traditional public schools, three (charter schools, open-enrollment schools, county-based magnet and tech schools) will automatically be moved up if they have sustained success.
But the competitive-balance formula calls for a further examination for the other three. Schools considered choice schools, tuition schools and schools with county-based academy programs will have to present a roster showing the origin of their players on that team. If enough players are shown to come from alternate means, those teams will be shifted.
In other words, if a school is using the opportunity to bring in talented young athletes who pay tuition, or enroll them in a special side program offered on campus, they will be forced to play up.
The executive committee vote to move the proposal forward Wednesday was unanimous with one abstention.
Discussions on this topic have been brewing at the state level for several months. A large part of the issue has been the rise of charter schools dominating Group 1 basketball.
Yes, enrollment at those schools is small, but the talent level is out of balance with the competition. In football, there has always been concern that city-based schools in Newark and Camden had an advantage because of their ability to draw kids from a much bigger geographic area than traditional public schools.
The city schools have alleged that this unfairly targets a population that is economically disadvantaged, but the messaging of the NJSIAA has been that this formula applies across all of the Garden State.
For years, coaches have been able to use different means to bring in athletes. No one is saying they can’t continue to do that, the NJSIAA is just saying it’s time to play at the appropriate level.
